*Interesting research!! :)* * * *Paul* * * On Wed, May 19, 2010 at 1:57 AM, surfswab <[email protected]> wrote:
> I've since also learned the the "X" in CBX designates a model that was > orginally intended for non-U.S. markets. > > In the early 80s the Harley Davidson company was ailing and > successfully lobbied our Congress for a ban on imports of bikes of 750 > cc and larger to stifle foreign competition. Honda circumvented the > ban by designing Nighthawks of 700 cc displacement, which is why our > '84-'86 Nighthawks are of that engine size. > > That worked for a few years, but Honda apparently lost interest in > offering Nighthawks of any size, including your 650, in the U.S. after > that, even though they continued to make and market them for the rest > of the world. It wasn't until '91 that Honda resurrected the name and > attached it to the second generation Nighthawk 750, which was a more > spartan version of the original. > > What that means for your bike, I think, is that yours found its way > into the U.S. somehow, and instead of being sold here, since there was > no market for it, was imported to Poland. Perhaps via the "gray" > market or the aforementioned "smuggIing" method or maybe even > legitimately. > > So I think you can safely assume it's a CBX and order parts > accordingly. If the VIN number starts with a "J" that indicates it > was assembled in Japan, therefore compatible with original equipment > parts. > > Hope this helps. > > > > > > > > > > On May 18, 6:06 pm, surfswab <[email protected]> wrote: > > Welcome Rafal. > > > > I did a little research and confirmed that Nighthawks were not > > marketed in the U.S. that year. So your bike may have been imported > > from the U.S. to Poland, but it was probably brought here, sans > > documentation, from another country originally. > > > > I would first speculate that it might be Canadian, since that's > > nearest our borders and they use metric measure (kilometers). But I > > know American servicemen who have bought bikes unavailable in the > > states and "smuggled" them here by various means (crated/stored in the > > foodstuffs hold of an aircraft carrier, for instance !!). > > > > When I was in the Navy I once bought a 500cc Meguro (BSA clone made by > > the Kawasaki Aircraft Co. in Yokosuka, Japan, before they started > > producing their own name brand, and transported it to Hawaii aboard > > ship). I then had it shipped to the mainland as part of my personal > > household goods when I was transferred. > > > > So it's possible that your bike may have originated in a Pacific Rim > > country as well. > > > > Don't know if that helps with the parts problem, but it gives you a > > helluva story to tell (!) > > > > -- > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. > > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]<nighthawk_lovers%[email protected]> > . > > For more options, visit this group athttp:// > groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]<nighthawk_lovers%[email protected]> > . > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en. > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en.
